MIME-Version: 1.0
Server: CERN/3.0
Date: Sunday, 01-Dec-96 19:20:07 GMT
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Length: 3354
Last-Modified: Wednesday, 13-Sep-95 13:59:56 GMT

<html>
<head>
<title>OLE 2.0 vs. OpenDoc and Microsoft Foundation Classes</title>
</head>

<body>
<h1>Presentation</h1>
<a href="ole-opendoc-mfc-presentation.html>
Click here to view an on-line versions of the presentation given in
CS717 on September 12, 1995
</a>

<h1>OLE 2.0 Overview</h1>
OLE is <a href="http://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft</a>'s brain-child.  It is 
supposed to take over the world and be the definitive answer to object 
technology...according to Microsoft of course.  OLE is also the basis for the 
next version of 
<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/DEVONLY/strategy/strategy.map?471,46">
Windows NT</a> (the real 32-bit OS from MS) which is code named Cairo.  OLE 
is an "open" standard...depending on who you ask.  If you ask Microsoft, it 
is open, but if you ask anyone else, they will probably disagree.  Microsoft 
has made information on 
<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/DEVONLY/strategy/strategy.map?407,68">OLE
</a> available through the internet.
<hr>

<h1>OpenDoc Overview</h1>
OpenDoc is backed by many companies in the computer industry.  The standard is 
controlled by an organization called <a href="http://www.cilabs.org">C.I. 
Labs</a>.  OpenDoc is positioned as a component architecture that exceeds the 
capabilities of Microsoft's OLE.
<h2>OpenDoc Supporters</h2>
These are the companies that have officially jumped on the OpenDoc bandwagon.  
Each of the companies and organizations have pledged to use it, contributed 
time, money, and/or helped to implement it.
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.apple.com">Apple</a>
<li><a href="http://www.ibm.com">IBM Corp.</a>
<li><a href="http://www.cilabs.org">C.I. Labs</a>
<li><a href="http://www.novell.com">Novell/WordPerfect</a>
<li><a href="http://www.taligent.com">Taligent, Inc.</a>
<li><a href="http://www.adobe.com">Adobe</a>
<li><a href="http://www.borland.com">Borland</a>
</ul>
<hr>

<h1>Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) Overview</h1>
The Foundation classes are a "thin" wrapper around the Windows (16-bit & 
32-bit) API.  These classes also have utility classes that implement some base 
functionality that could prove to be useful during a project.  For example, a 
linked list is one of the implemented classes.
<p>In addition to the other features, the "best" part of MFC is the cross 
platform aspect of the libraries.  If the libraries are used for application 
development, almost all that is required for a Mac OS compliant version is a 
simple recompile of the code.  Most platform differences are hidden within MFC.
<h2>Foundation Class Supporters</h2>
<ul>
<dt><a href="http://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft</a><dd>The gatekeeper of 
the libraries.  All development is done here.  It also ships with their 
Visual C++ product.
<dt><a href="http://www.symantec.com">Symantec</a><dd>Symantec has licensed 
the classes from Microsoft to ship them with their compiler product.
<dt><a href="http://www.borland.com">Borland</a><dd>Borland has added compiler 
support for the class libraries (to support the non-standard extensions 
Microsoft used).  Their compiler <em>does not</em> ship with the libraries 
included.  Borland ships their own class libraries (Object Windows Libraries) 
with their compiler.
</ul>
<hr>

<address>
Last updated: 12 September 1995<br>
<a href="mailto:jmm@cs.cornell.edu">jmm@cs.cornell.edu</a>
</address>

</body>
</html>

